Due at least in part to economic, environmental, and fitness advantages, many people are turning to bicycles in order to meet their daily transportation needs. However, most people still rely on expensive and less environmentally friendly automobiles in situations where they want or need to carry and store items that may be stolen or subject to unwanted public attention. For example, if someone rides their bicycle to a video store, rents a few videos, and then rides to the grocery store to pick up some fruit, they may not want to or be permitted to bring the video rentals into the grocery store with them. Since leaving the rentals with their bicycle could result in the videos being stolen, and since automobiles provide a far more reasonable expectation of security and privacy, this can lead to people choosing to use their automobiles when they might otherwise use their bicycles.
In spite of this, many people still choose to use their bicycles in situations where they want or need to carry and store items that may be stolen or subject to unwanted public attention. This manifests itself in the makeshift locking of bags, helmets and other items to luggage racks (or “cargo racks”) and/or to bicycles themselves that can often be observed on municipal bicycle racks in most urban settings.